This summer, a unique project has taken shape at the Berkeley Marina’s Adventure Playground, where a 24-foot whale sculpture is now welcoming visitors.
Constructed by 85 local elementary, middle, and high schoolers at Girls Garage, a nonprofit organization in West Berkeley, the climbing structure is designed to resemble a giant cetacean, complete with a rib cage for crawling, a baleen-inspired mouth, a tail, and a fin.
This initiative was part of a month-long summer camp where students worked collaboratively with Girls in Engineering, a UC Berkeley program, to create 3D-printed handholds enabling children to scale the whale’s back.
Throughout the program, participants gained practical skills such as measuring, cutting, drilling, and safely using power tools, many experiencing these activities for the first time.
Adventure Playground is renowned for its do-it-yourself approach, with many structures crafted by young children wielding saws and hammers.
The whale structure was built over a span of two weeks during the camp, allowing kids and teens to design and construct segments of the sculpture together.
For 9-year-old Alex Walker, participating in the summer camp marked her debut experience in this hands-on environment, where she learned to maneuver a jigsaw and sand down rough edges, an essential skill for preventing splinters.
Instructor Hannah Sawyer, a woodworking artist who is in her first year of teaching at Girls Garage, emphasizes the program’s significance in empowering young individuals to recognize their own capabilities.
Sawyer remarked on the importance of creating inclusive and gender-affirming spaces in fields like woodworking, traditionally dominated by males, stating, “Catching them at this certain age, you can really show how much strength and power they have.”
She reflected on the most rewarding aspect of the summer—witnessing moments of achievement when students finally grasp the skills they are learning, like drilling a hole or completing a cut.
Thirteen-year-old Tallulah Raxford, a seasoned participant in the program, shared her feelings about the environment: “It just feels very safe and inclusive. You have a lot of freedom, but also guidance. You know what you’re doing, but you feel like you can be creative.”
Founded in 2013, Girls Garage serves over 300 students each year, providing hands-on building programs, tool training, and opportunities for leadership development.
The nonprofit also undertakes 12 to 16 pro bono construction projects annually for various Bay Area organizations, contributing to community development through murals and garden beds.
This past year, students successfully built and installed a chicken coop for Willard Middle School and created a prototype Murphy bed for Tiny Village Spirit, which supports homeless and transitional youth.
Berkeley residents can additionally admire a 7-foot cat sculpture, painted bright yellow, located outside the Berkeley Animal Care Services, which was crafted by middle school students.
Looking ahead, Girls Garage is set to engage in an after-school program starting in October, planning to design and build a little free library and art gallery for Mandela Grocery Cooperative in Oakland.
image source from：berkeleyside
